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How to Make an Easy Transformer Out of Square Legos

Transformers are robotic aliens that shift between a vehicular state and a robotic mechanical state. Transformers include Optimus Prime, a noble and compassionate AutoBot who transforms into a truck, and Bumblebee, a smaller, wily AutoBot who transforms into a Camaro. Although Lego has thousands of unique pieces to form nearly anything you want, you can still make a simple Transformer like Optimus Prime out of square pieces. This can be an interesting challenge for an expert Lego builder and convenient for a beginner who doesn't have a big collection.

Things You'll Need

Red bricks, 2-by-2
Red hinged plates, 2-by-2
Red smooth tiles, 2-by-2
Grey top-axis bricks, 2-by-2
Grey one-hole bricks, 2-by-2
Red plates, 4-by-4
Red bricks, 4-by-4
Grey bricks, 2-by-2

Instructions

- 1
  Connect a 2-by-2 red brick to a 2-by-2 red hinged plate. A hinged plate looks like a square with four studs on top and teeth on one side that connect to teeth of another hinged square plate to form a hinge. Repeat this process to make a pair of matching red bricks connected to hinged plates.
- 2
  Connect another 2-by-2 red brick to the bottom of the other half of the hinge plate. Doing this lets you fold up the bricks so that one has studs facing upward and another has studs facing horizontally. Connect a 2-by-2 smooth tile over the red brick with the exposed studs. This brick is to be the front of Optimus Prime in truck form and the foot.
- 3
  Connect a 2-by-2 red plate to two of the studs of the hinged plate so that the new red plate cantilevers over the hinged plate by two studs. Connect another 2-by-2 red plate to the bottom of the last red plate you connected. This should now leave two visible studs on the most recently connected plate. Repeat this process for the other leg.
- 4
  Connect a 2-by-2 hinged plate to the end of the leg opposite the foot. Repeat this action for the other leg. Connect a grey top-axis brick to the hinge. The top-axis brick has four depressions, is square, and, instead of studs on top, has one central rod extending upward. Connect a 2-by-2 grey one-hole brick to the axis. The one-hole brick has a hole in it to allow the axis to fit in. This creates a rotating point upon which the leg can move as in the joint of the pelvis. Repeat this step for the other leg.
- 5
  Connect the two one-hole bricks of the legs to each other on the top studs with a 4-by-4 red plate. Connect another 4-by-4 red brick to the last 4-by-4 red brick so that it is touching both one-hole bricks. Connect yet another 4-by-4 brick to the one you just placed so that it snaps not only into the top of the 4-by- brick but also the two one-hole bricks. This leaves a row of 4 studs visible on top of the middle 4-by-4 brick. This creates the body of Optimus Prime.
- 6
  Connect four 2-by-2 black bricks to the top of the 4-by-4 brick to represent wheels. Connect a black 2-by-2 brick to the bottom hinge portion of the legs to represent a wheel there.
- 7
  Connect two hinge plates bricks to the middle 4-by-4 brick where its four studs are exposed. Make the hinges point outward like shoulder blades. Connect two side-axis bricks to the hinges facing downward toward the legs. Connect a hole brick to each axis as you did before. Connect another series of hinge plates and 2-by-2 plates ending in 2-by-2 bricks in the same manner you created the legs. This creates the arms.
- 8
  Connect a 2-by-2 grey brick to the center bottom two exposed depressions of the middle 4-by-4 brick that is sandwiched between the other two 4-by-4 bricks on the body. This last grey brick forms the head of Optimus Prime.
- 9
  Fold the arms at the hinges over the body of Optimus Prime. Fold the feet downward to face forward. Lay Optimus Prime on the black bricks. This is Optimus in Truck mode. Unfold Optimus to be in robot mode.

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